salvation army. that cash has been replaced and then some. >> news 4 at 4:00 starts now. good afternoon, everyone. i'm jim handly. >> i'm pat lawson muse. chilling calls from the mourning of a national tragedy just released after a year. >> yeah, jim, we want to start out by saying we will not air the audio from the 911 calls. we are honoring requests from the victims. we do want to share some of the phone calls as police told dispatchers someone was shooting in the building. one woman saying "i caught a glimpse of somebody running down the hol way.

oh, they're still running and still shooting. sandy hook school. please. the family fought to keep the 911 tapes sealed. the father of one says there's value in letting them hear now. >> i think there will be less confusion. there will be less people making up stories about what happened. >> the audio files just released online a short time ago. we're going through them and will have the latest on a live report a 5:00. for now at the live desk. i'm scott macfarlane. we are tracking a strange incident at the white house today. uniformed secret service officers cleared the north lawn, closed the guard shock, evacuated the park and shut down pennsylvania avenue. the secret service says the man was arrested for throwing a

package to the north end squad. >> right now two lanes are blocked by crews working on a water main break. this problem is near the intersection with gorman street. crews are installing valves of an 8-inch main so waterservice can be restored to customers. >> right now we are ready for bizarre winter weather. veronica johnson is tracking it all. that's right. we have a lot of changes that we're going through in the weather. outside today, well, we've got an overcast sky across the area. it stretches far and wide. let's take a look. our temperatures today under the overcast sky. as we look right over the

potomac, temperatures today in the 50s across the area. even 60 degrees for you folks around fredricksburg. stafford at 57 today. 57 around waldorf, maryland. but tomorrow temperatures will be going way up. probably get freakishly mild before another cold blast moves in. that's your thursday. all this as we track a big storm that will be setting up a large area of icy conditions through the nation's midsection and then eventually here. i'll tell you which areas and when in a couple of majorities. d.c. police are identifying the man shot and killed by officers in the trinidad neighborhood last night. his name is darius murphy and he's 19 years old. both the officer and murphy went to the hospital where murphy later died. the officer was released this morning.

police in prince george's county are still looking for the gunman who fired shots near the day care center in capitol heights. one person was wounded. a bullet grazed the driver sitting inside the day care's marked van. he's expected to be okay. police say no children were in the van or outside the day care center at the time. this all happened around 6:00 last night at shell street and arcadia avenue. new developments now. the charity says today they have received three massive donations to make up for what was stolen this weekend. we first showed you the video. they stole days worth of red kettle collections and made off with more than $10,000. wal-mart wrote a check today for $15,000 to make up for the losses. a local attorney foundation donated $10,000 each. police are still looking for the

thieves. wal-mart's first two d.c. stores are open for business. # there is one store at missouri avenue northwest. the other is at h and first streets northwest. coming up in the next half hour we'll talk to customers today. a church in prince george's county is reeling right now. thieves stole their supply of heating oil. and it's not the first time..

folks are still talking about the black friday madness. a deer got into the huntsman square in spring yn field. that was friday afternoon. the animal got in through a back door and ran through four different stores, including the giant supermarket. one of the store workers scrambled to shut their doors. finally one witness sprang into action. >> luckily one knew to cover his face with a sweater. and he was able to guide it to the front of the mall until animal control came.

it was a little bit of crazy in here for a while. and there's a whole crowd watching and running away. >> the dress barn had the most damage and was closed to shoppers for nearly two days. well, it's a billboard in the middle of one of metro's busiest stations. now it's attracting attention for all the wrong reasons. we'll tell you why metro is fielding complaints about one of its own ads. right now the white house is decked for the holidays. we'll get an inside look at michelle obama shows off the decorations. >> and college students getting canine therapy.

metro is taking heat for a

controversial series of new ads at metro station next week. one makes a comment about new metro improvements while the other says, quote, can't we just talk about shoes? some commuteayhe ad is sexist and unfair to women. >> well, just the smile on their faces, it's like, this is a serious conversation. but it's very flippant. just thinking about shoes. it's nothing to smile about. >> metro says the ads are a part of a series that shows riders including men having casual conversations about improvements to the railways. coming up at 5:00, transportation reporter adam tuss has more about the complaints. send us your feedback by calling

or texting. text one for yes and 2 for no. we'll share your responses tonight on news 4 at 5:00. quiet please. a new law says loud music, car horns and barking dogs are a criminal offense. violatorscan be fined up to $500. some residents called it too strict. others, too lack. supervisors say it's made the previous law unenforceable. here's a live look at the rockefeller center in new york city. the christmas tree is dark now, but tonight it will light up. glowing in downtown manhattan. you can see them flip the switch live at 8:00 here on nbc 4. the white house is decked out for the holidays today. first lady michelle obama invited military families to come inside and take a look at the 2013 holiday decorations.

there they are. this year's theme is gather around. a celebration of coming together with loved ones at this special time of year as well as sharing the stories of classic american holiday traditions. mrs. obama says she likes to watch children enjoying the wonderful glory of the white house during the holidays. >> some of the best times are watching the face of the kids and looking at the ornaments. >> they include holiday crafts and treats for the children. the first family came into the room to greet the kids and knocked over a 2-year-old girl. he licked her face in an apparent apology. sunny's first white house christmas there. >> we're sure that lick made up for knocking her down. we are getting new details about the death of actor paul

walker. what we just learned from the medical examiner and how the actor's death will impact the popl popular "fast & furious" franchise.

first at 4:00 today, new information about the death of actor paul walker and his

friend. autopsy results released this afternoon reveal that walker died from the combined effects of trauma and burns. the star was a passenger in the car drifred by roger rodas. the treealso word this afternoo that production of "fast "fast & furious 7" is now on hold. news 4's scott macfarlane has the details for the live desk. they will talk about when the recap begins. it's set to start december 16th. it can take several days. they had 160 to 165 votes. the republican candidate petitioned the court for this recount. the commonwealth in the history of close elections, that was the

closest statewide election in virginia history. at the live desk, i'm scott macfarlane. weather wise, it's pretty mild here in our neck of the woods. but a wicked winter storm is enveloping a big part of the country bringing dangerous snows and deadly temperatures. at least six deaths are already blamed on the deadly blast. leanne gregg is in denver with a look at how folks are coping. >> reporter: in colorado, road crews working around the clock are trying to keep pace with falling snow and icy conditions. some mountain areas are bracing for up to two feet of snow. in denver lows below zero are expected for several days. more snow near duluth, minnesota, up to a foot today, on top of 26 inches yesterday. by friday, temperature this is the region could drop to more than 20 below. >> stay indoors a lot more. i don't like 30 below weather.

nobody does. just part of what happens. >> it's going to be a white christmas. and it's nice and cold. >> slick road causing dangerous conditions. the utah highway patrol reported 160 crashes in salt lake city alone. a trooper's vehicle was struck by another car sliding out of control while he was assisting an accident. the cold weather is threatening crops as far south as california. citrus farmers worry if their crops still on the vine will survive the cold. >> go home and go to bed, get back up the next morning and see what's happening. >> a massive arctic blast affecting more than 30 million people in 25 states still far from over. the icy blast is expected to be followed by another later this week, creating an extended cold period that hasn't been seen since in 1990s. leanne gregg, nbc news, denver. >> so, veronica, are we going to

get any of that? >> we're going to get a little bit of wintery weather come this weekend. so we're monitoring what's coming, the big storm system for us. first we get to enjoy the moild temperatures. we'll save a little bit on the electric bill because we don't have the heat on. after the first 24 hours we have adjustments to make. we have overcast and low overcast today. didn't get much sunshine but not having a major effect on the temperature. we are slightly above average. look at this. the mercury only dropping a few degrees. at 9:00 i'm calling it cool at 51. could be patchy fog around 11:00 p.m. to midnight. and look at the radar here scanning the area. nothing is showing up that's fallg from the sky. there could be a few sprinkles coming our way late this evening around winchester. you can see them there on the

west side of i-81. foggy conditions for tomorrow morning. clouds, yes. so not much sunshine and a slight chance for some showers coming our way during the afternoon hours, and most especially on friday. in fact, friday is looking very nasty. but it's the afternoon evening rush that we have to look at. along with that, around 3:00, 4:00 p.m. on friday and even wind to deal with. you're looking at temperatures across the area. forecast for tomorrow. manassas, you're up to 65 for a high tomorrow. 66 degrees in town. even you folks in gaithersburg, temperatures in the low to mid 60s again. slight chance of a passing shower between 3:00 and 8:00 p.m. tomorrow. i don't know if it's enough to carry the umbrella, but you're for sure going to need it on friday. starting at 3:00 to 5:00 a.m. in the morning. going right through the evening

hours. the forecast for friday with the 60-degree high temperature will come early in the day. 8:00 a.m., showers and mild conditions. at noontime, we get cooler. we top at 50 degrees. by 4:00, when you step out, it's rain an wind and turning chilly. a new weather system moves in. we'll get the timing on what we get sunday as well as an hourly forecast and a lighting for the national christmas tree. used to be the second most powerful man in the world. now dick cheney may be powerless to stop a family feud. we'll have his reaction? >> and what tr the five keys to a longer life?

no matter how old you are you should be concerned about your health. once you hit 50 there are important steps to maintaining your health. five simple steps to take after 50. a family allergy and asthma care is here. she's about to turn 50. happy birthday in advance. >> thanks very much.

>> so let's go through the five steps. first of all we know that knowledge is power. and we know we have to know our numbers. what are they? >> so, they are simple. they are your blood pressure, triglycerides and cholesterol. know them and take them often. >> but we don't pay a lot of attention to them. >> the point is knowledge is power. >> we also know it's important exeise. what do you say to people who want easy exercise? folks who don't want to join a health club. >> you can do it easy. it's 20 to 30 minutes of vigorous walking. and it does so much more than help out your heart. it tones your muscles. it's going to decrease your stress, improve your mood, and help your sleep as well. but don't just think of it as something for your heart. >> exercise is one thing. you say we need to laugh our way

to better health. how does that work? >> the studies show that 15 minutes of laughter equals 30 minutes of aerobic exercise. imagine if you're watching the seinfeld reruns. you probably have much more going on. it does so much more than that. it increases endor fins aphins relaxes muscles. >> it's really good medicine. we also know it's important to watch your weight. but why is it more important to watch your waist. >> so you have a scale and the tape measurer you really want to have a small waist. and those numbers are in particular for men less than 40. ideally 35. and for women less than 35 and ideally 32. and the reasons they really are are because of what we call the visceral fat, the area of fat around the middle. the apple versus pear shape.

it releases a lot of inflammatory chemicals that will again infect the rest of body, not just the stuff around the gut. >> now is liposuction good for getting rid of the fat around the tummy? does it have the same benefits as exercise? >> it's not been studied in humans, but if you have some mice around, that's one way to get them to do that. and the studies have shown in the mice, it decreased drastically their asthma. and the thought here again is you sucked out the bad fat storage that has the chemicals that will cause the inflammation that causes the asthma. so again really pay attention to the waist. i confess i don't get enough sleep. i can't get enough sleep. maybe a pillow so you can take a nap around here at some point or another. but why it helps is because it's when your cells repair. they repair when you're asleep.

and you will get more and better sleep if you do the other things that we talked about, if you do exercise. the metabolism slows down if you don't get enough exercise. it's going to affect all the other parts that we talked about. the most important therapy is sleep. just sleep. >> i feel a new year's resolution coming on. >> give that as a gift to others, too. >> i feel like a nap. president obama is taking his message about the economy to the district. 'll te you what brought him to the southeast. and a live report from "30

welcome back to news 4 at 4:00. i'm pat lawson muse. >> and i'm jim handly. president obama warned that the nation's economic future is threatened by what he calls a dangerous income disparity. he called for federal action to narrow the gaps, such as a hike in the minimum wage. steve handelsman is live on capitol hill with the story for us. >> thanks, jim. federal action, which means spending, which means this is part of the budget battle. and here on capitol hill tonight, both sides, there's good news. both sides saying that it looks like they're closer to a two-year budget agreement. but president obama today was looking a lot longer term than that, and frankly looking to change what has been the subject

of washington. >> the president widened his focused from obama care to the economic class. >> if you work hard, you should make a decent living. >> fewer americans are. income disparities are getting worse. the average family made just 8% more than than they did in the late 1970s, while america's richest 1% get far richer, with 288 times what most families have already. >> that is a dangerous growing inequality. >> places like san francisco, d.c. and neighboring counties are raising the minimum wage. seattle to $15 an hour. president obama wants the federal minimum raised from 7:25. that's part of the budget battle that is heating back up. in republicans versus democrats. >> when will they start listening to the american people? blamed by this year's government shutdown, many republicans rule that out. >> it's a bad idea.

and number two, it's bad politics. >> and a deal is in the works to end across the board sequestration cuts in defense and in social programs said to cut deeper next year. billions would get shifted. and a plan being hatched by house republican paul ryan and senate democrat patty murray, while both sides fight over extending unemployment benefits. the president today warned again that obama care will not be on the table in any of these because his plan, he says, is getting rid of, hoping to end one of america's worst disparities. i'm steve handelsman, news 4. here is a live look at rockefeller center in downtown manhattan right now. >> in just a few hours the big christmas tree will be glowing with 45,000 christmas lights.

>> sarah is joining us now with a preview. >> reporter: you're not joking. this is a huge tree. and all that is left to do tonight is to throw that switch. but taking you back to the tree's origins. it's from connecticut. it was planted 75 years ago. the family that donated it say they are happy to share it with the world, but they are a little sad to see it grow. it's now at 30 rock. all dressed up in 45,000 l.e.d. multicolored light tws the star on top of it. we're going to hear from a number of stars and celebrities. they're all right here on nbc. and if you want to come see the tree in all the glory, you can do so until january 7th. after that it will be milled boo lumber for habitat for humanity.

>> and you can see the tree lighting tonight at 8:00. >> well, the lighting of the national christmas tree outside the white house is set for later this week. >> yeah, a big day. is the weather going to cooperate for that one? our temperatures, however, will be fairly decent, i think the early part of the day on friday for the national christmas tree lighting. here we go. take a look at the temperatures. starting out at 60 degrees by 4:00. we'll be around the 50s. by 6:00, 51 and then dropping to 50 degrees.0 s by 8:00. the other thing we're looking at is train. the rain could be moderate to heavy durn the afternoon and evening hours and the wind will start to pick up as well. so take whatever you need to take to stay dry and also to stay warm. after this event most of the

rain should be over by early saturday morning. but for us, it's a quick half to inch of rain. overcast right now? yeah. but temperatures are going to be going way up and then way down. the snow, possible freezing rain that moves in this weekend in just a couple ofminutes. >> still to come, family members speak out for the first time about a lawsuit they're finding in her

16 service dogs provided relaxation for some students here. pause for paws organization says dogs can help students get through the stressful finals period that's coming up. the dogs also provide therapy for wounded veterans, the visually impaired and persons who suffer from strokes. >> it's a growing trend. more and more african-american women are deciding to wear their hair naturally. abandoning weaves and chemical relaxers. but at what cost? that's the talk around town today. troy is here to talk about that with us. troy, some of your listeners say they have faced and gotten a lot of negative feedback for wearing their hair in the natural state. but what is it that people are saying there is about black hair that created such a divide? >> there's so many things to talk about. the history, the identity of an individual. and what their sense of duty is. so many things are wrapped up into this conversation.

and our whor listeners, many of them expressed that, you know, natural hair doesn't necessarily represent who they are as a person. some say it's not esthetically attractive. others say it's liberating. so you have a wide range of viewpoints. she says it's a source of frustration for her. >> that's a dark and shameful history that women of the color have had for hundreds of years. whether you are locked, you have a 'fro, you have a perm or a weave. we are constantly asked to explain our hair. >> and in that explanation of their hair, a lot of the feedback is from other black

men, which frustrates them as well. there have been high profile cases in the news recently. >> exactly. there are two cases, two young ladies, one in orl do, florida. one up the road in baltimore. they're facing policies in the school that don't allow for natural hair. the school in baltimore reversed the policy on no dread locks. the young lady we're seeing right now, she's down in orlando. she was told she was told she would have to decide if they would have to cut the natural hair. >> and we remember the controversy over gabby douglas' hair when she was competing in the olympics. >> she's in the middle of the olympics. not thinking about her hair. see that gold hanging around her neck. but a firestorm of criticism came about around her hair. the other thing is interesting that whor listeners were telling

me is there's not a lot of flak for african-american male athletes that have natural hair. we don't hear much about that. it's usually focused on the women. >> that doesn't sound fair. >> it is not. a huge turnout at two new stores in the district. we'll hear from customers about d.c.'s new wal-mart locations. and former vice president dick cheney speaking about a very public fight between his daughters. >> our temperatures are going to be going up, way up. this weekend, a touch of winter. and it could get icier around here. we'll talk about what we get, when we think we're going to get it when news 4 at 4:00 returns.

i think a little bit of entertainment in journalism. it's nice to spice things up every now and then, right? >> ron burgundy, the man of the hour today. emerson college up in boston renamed the school of communication after ron burgundy. actor will ferrell was there in costume. by the way, the ron burgundy school of communication exists only for today. two of the biggest stars in showbiz are going vegan, at

least through christmas. they have taken on the challenge to eat the vegan diet. jay-z says he's not sure if he will continue into the new year or just modify his diet. today is jay-z's 44th birthday. the first two wal-mart stores are bustling after opening this morning. the response has been overwhelming. thousands of people have shopped at the two stores. the other is on georgia avenue near missouri. melissa reports on the fanfare and the controversy over wages. >> this is our first really good look inside the 105,000 square foot store. now this week may haul in 1 million pounds of food. wal-mart fans in line early. >> i've been shopping wal-mart since 1982. i really love wal-mart.

i'm glad we're here. it's like a dream come true. >> it's good for the community. >> local dignitaries, a choir and the color guard. part of the grand opening celebration here at the georgia avenue store and, of course, there were superheros and the cheetos guy. what opening would be complete without them? the new wal-mart is very similar. both having a grocery section and full service pharmacy. sean wanted to be one of the first customers in. >> it's exciting to see something finally coming to fruition. >> the excitement here today is off the chain. >> but the openings haven't arrived without quite a bit of controversy along the way. if the prices are reasonable

i'll shop here. >> the act would have required retailers to pay $12.50 an hour. wal-mart hired 300 workers at each new store after receiving 23,000 applications. >> they're bringing jobs to the district of columbia. they're bringing shopping opportunities here. >> low, low prices today means low wages every day. >> outside, no celebrating, but protests. people walking with signs. >> these stores that we see up and down georgia avenue, they will be gone. >> the stores will be open seven days a week from 6:00 a.m. to midnight. in northwest washington for news 4. >> we are tracking new developments linked to the mass shooting at the navy yard. the family of one of the victims has just filed the first lawsuit in connection with the deadly

rampage. mary frances knight's relatives filed the wrongful death lawsuit in federal court in tampa. the lawsuit seeks $37 million in damages. the navy, the department of veteran affairs and two defense contractors are named as defendants. all are accused of negligence. knight's sister says the system is flawed and needs to be fixed. with we are all just torn apart and we want to get through this and make a change and make a difference so her life wasn't in vain. >> the lawsuit alleges federal agencies and contractors did not act on rd flags about the mental health of navy yard gunman. and also says navy yard security was lax alexis killed 12 people before he died in a shootout with police in september. dick cheney is commenting on camera about a family feud between the two daughters.

the siblings spat began when liz cheney reiterated her support for traditional marriage. she's locked in a tight republican primary battle. her sister, mary cheney, on the right there, is married to her partner, heather. the couple took to facebook to criticize liz cheney's stand against same-sex marriage. he was asked about the controversy last night. >> we were surprised when there was an attack launched on facebook. and wish it hadn't happened. >> mr. cheney added the issue has always been handles inside the family and that's where he prefers to leave it. >> marine biologists are trying desperately to help stranded whales in the everglades.

more than 300 whales got stuck in shallow waters off of everglades national park. the area is remote and is accessible only by boat. by the time they got there, ten whales had beached themselves. at least four of them died. the scientists say guiding the survivors back to deeper waters will be difficult because pilot whales stay in tightly knit groups and will not be willing to leave the others behind. >> all right, vj, we have busy days ahead of us in the weather world. >> and that we do. we will talk about a series of storms and i really think that after this weekend, our weather is going to get more extreme around here for about another two or three weeks. and as we approach christmas, guys. i think we have a better chance than the last couple of years. i can tell you what will happen on christmas day. but at least a better chance than past years. we got just a little bit of a lifeline out there right now. expect to see a little bit of

patchy fog, but during the overnight, we're going to stay fairly mild. reagan national, 57 degrees and manassas at 57 degrees. remember i showed you that yesterday. out here over the northern rockies, look at that. the temperatures are even lower. we have gone from cold to colder. 9 degrees in denver, colorado. of course, they have the wind, and look at that. the cold air will be headed our way. this is a sizable storm system coming our way and dealing with power outages over many, many states. and in just a moment i'll give you a detailed look at what to expect on monday. tomorrow morning we're overcast. patchy fog already starting out mild. take a look at the afternoon. 60s and upper 60s in a few neighborhoods.

getting through stafford county and around fredricksburg. warrenton is 65 and culpeper, 66 for a high tomorrow. yes, it's going to come with a mostly cloudy sky, and there's a possibility after 3:00 of seeing a light passing shower through the area. 80 at 60. by 4:00 p.m., 46 degrees. more rain coming during the afternoon. so very sloppy afternoon rush on friday. that takes us to the weekend right now for your saturday and your sunday. we're at 41 degrees on sunday. seeing temperatures in the area. 34 degrees for a high temperature on sunday. it looks as though the moisture should get here. at this point it's looking like we could start out with snow. switch over to freezing rain as temperatures warm and then get

the rain for the afternoon. but a wintery mix right now is looking likely for travel to be difficult on sunday. storm team 4 will continue to monitor the nasty weather potential nor the second half of the weekend. jim, pat? >> a man found dead outside an nfl stadium during a game last weekend, but the family of the man who is a young father says you haven't heard the full story.

new at 4:00, we are hearing from the family of a man beat to death outside an nfl stadium on sunday. kyle van winkle died after a struggle while the chiefs played the broncos. his family says there's more to the story than what's been reported. >> kyle had a little baby boy just a few weeks ago. a child who happens to look exactly his dad. >> you can see the joy in his eyes when he looks at his son. and not seeing that anymore will be the toughest part for me. >> on sunday van winkle climbed in and sat in somebody else's jeep. a vehicle that looked similar to the tahoe he arrived in, located in the same area. >> it appears he was headed back for the vehicles were parked. >> police say the owner arrived and thought van winkle was stealing from him. a group of people punched him several times.

he collapsed and died at the hospital. >> my son has never been a thief. he's as honest as the day is long. >> police are still trying to figure out what happened, but liz father says he knows. his son, a former football captain, played with passion on the field and demonstrated compassion off the field. he says he saw that intensify when baby will arrived in the world a few weeks ago. >> he wanted to be a great father. he heard a dear friend, a fellow officer, give him the same notification he has given so many other families in his 33 years of police work. words he believed he didn't have to hear and pain he wouldn't have to endure had different choices been made sunday night. >> i wish somebody would have just called the police.

right now at 5:00, a deadly winter storm sweeps across the midsection and we are bracing for a major shift in our weather. police tape is still up today and the crime scene is still active after d.c. police shot and killed a man today. when we went knocking to get answers, the victim's family opened up. and we just learned the competition for the first casino in prince george's county is getting smaller. >> first at 5:00 tonight, get ready. storm team coverage. >> rare storm is battering the midwest. and we could be seeing a lot more than rain this week. >> we begin with that winter blast. a storm is pushing through the rockies and the midwest right now, bringing heavy snow, dangerously cold temperatures, and treacherousriving conditions. at least six deaths are blamed on this storm so far. the cold weather is also threatening crops. >> and we have one more day of mild weather before we start to feel a dramatic change around here.

doug kammerer is tracking it all for us. >> outside right now, we're looking pretty nice. even though we saw plenty of cloud cover. today we are looking at temperatures near the 60-degree mark in many locations. let me show you what we're dealing with. warm today for sure. that roller coaster ride is continuing as we continue on the up swing. here are the temperatures now. 57 today. 64 in culpeper, and we will get warmer during the day tomorrow. we continue to go up on a roller coaster, and then we come crashing down this weekend. we have a chance for rain, yes, snow and ice coming in across the region. first it's going to be the rain. that moves in on friday. the rain/snow/ice mixture moves in the weekend. i'll show you when in my full forecast in just a minute. we have breaking news right now out of prince george's county. news 4 just learned it's not looking good for one of the three proposals for the new casino. tracee wilkins is live where she